Unlock the potential of every moment with the seven best ways to invest your time. Discover strategies that transform minutes into opportunities, and learn how to maximize productivity while maintaining balance in your life.
Time is more valuable than money
We often treat time as our most fungible asset because we are too busy to think about it, or don’t think we have the resources to make more time in our lives
- A fresh look at how we really spend our days, hours, and moments will reveal many ways to invest our time to yield higher returns
Invest in “Time Assessment” Time
Five minutes a day to make sure you’ve invested time in at least one thing
- 15 minutes a week to review your past week’s schedule and what you wish you had made time for
- One hour a month (or two to three hours a season) of quiet time with a journal to assess the past season, how your time felt, and how you’d like to invest your time in the coming season
Invest in “Life-Extending” Time
Investing time in caring for your health will yield you more time, literally and metaphorically, in days, months, and years.
- Proactively invest your time in your health by eating well, exercising, getting plenty of sleep, and seeing your doctor, and invest heartily in those non-physical markers of well-being.
Invest in cushion time
Being in a rush may prevent you from being the kind of person you want to be-the kind to stop and help someone in need.
- Building in lots of cushion time in your schedule and preventing “constant hurriedness syndrome” is a great investment in yourself and in the quality of life of those around you.
Invest in “Foundation-Building” Time
Create the time to make the right stitches, and you’ll be spared much time, hassle, and expense later
- According to Stephen Covey, we spend our time primarily on four types of activity: Urgent, Non-urgent, Urgent and non-important
- If you’re spending more time putting out fires than building the right foundations, you’ll never get ahead of your to-do list
Invest in “Savoring” Time
Savoring requires slowing down-taking a few extra seconds to really look at the colors of the leaves, or munching slowly to enjoy the texture of a bite. Investing time in savoring all the unique sensorial moments of your day will guarantee your moments don’t flash by in a dull blur.
Invest in “Do-Nothing” Time
In America, we don’t feel our time is well spent unless we’re either producing or consuming. In other cultures, it’s normal for people to enjoy each others’ company without activity or conversation. Investing in do-nothing time will help us slow down and experience a different pace of life.
Invest in “System-Creating” Time
Making small improvements to your life pays out exponentially in happiness
- For example, putting a keyhook by the door so you don’t spend five minutes every morning hunting for your keys.
- rearranging your closet so you can actually see everything, and not spend 20 minutes each morning figuring out what to wear.
